Machine for cleaning peanuts



(No Model.)

B. H. VELLINES.

MACHINE FOR CLEANING PEANUTS.

No. 335,402. I Patented Feb. 2, 1886.

WITNESSES //v l/E/VTO ognphen Washmgiom n c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENTON II. YELLINES, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

MACHINE FOR CLEANING PEANUTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 335,402, dated February2,1886.

Application filed October 8, 1885. Serial No. 179,327. (No model.)

To all 2071 07m it may concern.-

Beitknown that I, BENTON H. VELLINES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Non folk, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines forCleaning Peanuts; and Ido declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representation of an end elevation of amachine for cleaning peanuts constructed according to my invention, andFig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, partly in section.

This invention has relation to machines for cleaning peanuts, beans,&c.; and it consists in the construction and novel arrangement of parts,as hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating this invention, the letter Adesignates a cylinder or roller of any suitable construction, havingjournals B in proper bearings. In the present instance this cylinder isshown as composed of four rollers, a, which are arranged on thehorizontal shaft B in such position as to coincide with the belts attheir points of connection with the transverse shaft. The outer rollersof the cylinder may be provided with guide-flanges a. The cylinder Acarries the slatted endless cleaner 0, which consists of transverseslats D, preferably of wood or iron, and endless belts E, usually ofleather or steel, to which said slats are secured, the slats beingseparated sufficiently to leave interstices for the passage of dust andthe like. The belts E are preferably arranged on the outside of theslats, and are placed in series at proper distances apart to support theload. The cylinder A is turned by any ordinary mechanism, a pulley, F,being usually provided on an extension of its journal for a drivingbelt,G. The cleaner is in the form of a large slatted endless belt hangingfrom the cylinder bearing, and the beans or nuts are fed into it at oneend and discharged at the other.

It is obvious that when beans or nuts are fed into the cleaner at oneend from a spout or the like, they will tend to assume a level positionthereon, and that the force by which they are thus fed will dischargethem at the opposite end.

In order to regulate the discharge and to prevent the nuts from flying,the end boards, H and K, are employed, one at the feed end and the otherat the discharge end of the cleaner. These end boards extend upvertically from below the level of the bottom of the cleaner,transversely across its ends, and are not extended to touch the same,but to have a position sufficiently close to prevent the escape of thenuts between the ends of the slats and the boards. The end boards areheld in position by means of suitable bearings, which are secured to aproper base, and the end boards are usually made adjustable and movable.The bearings may be formed of outer vertical posts, as b b, and innerbeams, d, arranged so as to permit theintroduction of the end boards,and the heights of the boards are adjusted by moving the said boardshorizontally. The board at the feed end is generally higher than at thedischarge end, so that should any of the nuts tend to bank at that pointthey will be directed to the discharge end. In the preferredconstruction the upper edges of these boards are inclined, as indicatedat L, for convenience of adjustment, the inclined board at the feed endbeing higher at the back or on that side of the cleaner-belt which isrunnin upward, so as to prevent the belt from carrying the nuts over thesaid board during opera tion, and the discharging-board at the other endbeing in a reverse position, being higher 011 the side of the cleanerwhich is running downward, thereby preventing a scattering discharge ofthe nuts. By adjusting the boards endwise they can be adapted to thequantity of nuts being fed to the cylinder, whether large or small, andthe rapidity of the discharge ean be controlled in a very efficientmanner.

Having described this invention, What I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s-

1. An endless slatted cleaner composed of transversely-extending slatsseparated to provide insterstices for the passage of dirt, and a seriesof belts, in combination with a roller, over which said cleaner passes,and suitable means for retaining the nuts upon the belt, substantiallyas specified.

2. The combination, with an endless slatted cleaner and its roller, ofthe end boards having inclined edges, substantially as specified.

3. A peanut-cleaner consisting in the combination, with end boards, of avertically-sus- 1o pended endless moving belthaving interstices,substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BENTON H. VELLINES. \Vitnesses: t

J OHN C. BAKER, XVALTER R. RUssELL.

